The importance of cleanliness has long been recognized, particularly in the fields of heath-care, food preparation, and laboratories, to name but a few. The practice of surgical scrubbing by surgeons and other operating room personnel is probably the epitome of efforts to cleanse the hands and forearms of persons working in sterile environments. Although manual hand-washing can appear to be effective, medical experts have concluded that automated hand-washing increases hand-washing compliance and reduces the risk of infection.
Touchless automated hand-washing devices are designed to wash the hands of the user and provide the proper amount of antimicrobial solution in a set time. Additionally, these systems diminish the deterrent effects of friction and irritation associated with frequent manual hand-washing. Notwithstanding the benefits and convenience of automated washing devices, difficulties still exist with verifying employee or staff use of the washing apparatus. Moreover, existing systems lack the ability to provide a complete washing. It would be advantageous to have a system that provides automated washing that may be operable to verify usage by the intended users. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system and method for providing automated washing, which may be operable to monitor compliance with one or more hygiene requirements.
In addition to the foregoing, problems also exist with ensuring and/or monitoring proper hand care. Overuse of alcohol based hand sanitizers may lead to dehydration of the skin. Skin problems, such as irritations or cracking, that result from skin dehydration can lead to bacteria and/or other microorganism growth. Typically, lotions are used to counteract the drying effect of alcohol based sanitizers. However, overuse of lotion may lead to the build-up of an emulsion layer that can also lead bacteria and/or other microorganism growth. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a system that monitors and/or mitigates the effects of overuse of sanitizers and lotions.
In designing an automated cleaning system a number of features should be considered. For example, the automated cleaning system should be capable of monitoring user compliance with a hygiene protocol. Moreover, the verification system should include a cleaning station (capable of washing a portion of the user) having an automated wash chamber, a hand sanitizer dispenser, and a lotion dispenser, an identification apparatus operable to identify the user, a cleaning station operations monitor, and a memory having a compliance module operable to record data associated with use of the cleaning station by the user.
When designing an automated cleaning system, a method of monitoring user compliance with a hygiene protocol should also be provided. The method of monitoring user compliance should include identifying a user of a cleaning station, determining a cleaning station use type for each usage of the cleaning station (the cleaning station use type should indicate a particular cleaning station component used by the user and record the usage of the cleaning station), and providing an instruction to the user regarding subsequent usage of the cleaning station.